14 travelers at this place:

They have been mining salt here since the 12th century and it is enormous.
The source of one third of mediaeval Poland's total revenue it still produces 8,000 kilos a year but that's just to sell to the tourists.
Only 2 of the 20kms of tunnels are a open to tourists. That’s the 2 million that visit each year.
To get to the first level at 64 metres you walk down 380 stairs. There are 800 by the time it’s all over.
Absolutely amazing. Chapels, reception rooms, stairs and stairs. One room is over 35 metres high, they used to do bungie jumping a few years ago.
In the middle ages there were 60 horses stabled underground and hundreds of workers.
Condition have improved since the. Now there are just 400 guides.Read more

After spending 4 hours at the 2 concentration and death camps. We boarded our mini bus for a 1 hour 25 minute ride to the Unesco World Heritage site . This mine has been around since 1200 AD.
We descended 840 steps to start our tour.
We walked over 2 km and we only saw 1% of the mine. We got down to level 3 which is 135 meters deep.
Throughout the mine are all these areas where the miners have done carvings. They were amazing. At one spot there is a huge cavern where they had a big underground chapel.
The mine is still active but not as much as their main source of revenue is tourism as they get over 1. 2 million visitors a year.
It was very interesting to see and learn about the mine as see the wonderful carvings.Read more

After a day off it was back to the world heritage sites! Today's stop was the royal salt mines at the town of Wieliczka, about 20 minutes south-east of Krakow. We left home around 9 under rainy skies, hoping to make today a half-day. After arriving, parking, sorting out Schnitzel in the car and so on, we just missed the 10am tour, so had to wait for the 10:30am tour in English.

Surprising number of people around, lots of Poles but also other nationalities as well - I wouldn't have expected a salt mine to attract so many people!

The tour itself was great; about 3 hours worth of wandering around the mines in semi-darkness. Lots of high-quality salt was mined here, and at one point in the 16th century the mine's output was around 30% of the Polish kingdom's GDP! It was founded in the 13th century and still in operation, though salt production these days was done by boiling salt water leaking into the mine, rather than actual mining per se.

Lots of sculptures down here surprisingly, and an enormous cavern room that still gets used for concerts, church services, weddings and so on. Not sure I'd want to get married 100m underground in a mine, but apparently some people do!

Back to the surface where we had a quick lunch in the attached cafe (sausages and Polish dumplings), then drove back to Krakow. It hadn't quite been a half-day as it was approaching 3pm when we got home, but close enough. More work in the afternoon and evening! I also ducked out to buy new jeans from H&M at a nearby shopping mall, and a hair cut since I was long overdue - my last one had been in Strasbourg, so mid-August!Read more

We went to the Wieliczka salt mine, home to the world's largest underground cathedral. Salt miners carve amazing statues and reliefs from solid salt. Apparently this salt mine is so immense that it would take you something like 24 DAYS to walk through the whole thing!!

I finished my book before sleeping last night and Will must have been tired because we fell asleep before me and when I woke around 12 he was still snoozing.

The other guys in our room are totally grots. Im interested to know what their houses looks like if this is how they look leave an area shared with strangers.
Half empty beer cans, trodden on biscuits left on the floor, undies flung everywhere... now I know I am an extraordinarily messy person but these people are insane.
Me and Will are so clean in hostels. It's in private rooms our bags spread lol.

We went to hard rock for breakfast cause Will wanted a burger. The burger I got was so bad. I don't know what type of meat that was...

We walked to the station and got in line to buy tickets to the salt mines. The line room so long, I don't know what people were doing - when it was our turn it took us all of 30 seconds.
Only $1 each woo!

Got an email from dad - I'm getting an estimated $2000 back from tax WOOOOHOOOOOO!!! 🎉

Ok so turns out my excitement about our train tickets was premature - WHAT AN EVENTFUL DAY.

So we bought our train tickets at 2:50.
At 4:20 we still hadn't got a train. Our train was meant to come at 3:10 and then got delayed twice then cancelled. Our second train just didn't show up.
We just kinda stood there like oh crap because our tour was for 4:50 and the supposed next train wasn't until 5.
Everyone on our platform started going onto the train on the other track. I asked a lady inside if it went to the mine and she said no. A man behind her said no but he was going to the same place so we could follow him going a different route. So we jumped on.
We went up one stop and got off with the man.
He was not the only one with this plans and so many people just looked stumped because there was no trains available.
He came over to me and said he had just called a taxi because he had to go to his job so I asked if we could jump in - he said yes.
The taxi came and we drove for 10 mins (it's now 4:50 at this stage) we got out where his car was parked and paid for the taxi and for it to take us further up the road to the mines.
A truly beautiful man.
I was so beyond grateful. He didn't even give us a chance to pay but I felt a little guilty until he then handed me his business card saying if we ran into trouble to call him. He is a PROFESSOR of surgery.
Holy cow.
He can probably cover the $7 bill lol.
I've stapled his card into my journal.
His kindness was appreciated 💕💕
I sent him an email this email thanking him again.

So anyway,
It was 5pm
And we assumed our tour had started but we planned to ask to possibly join another one explaining the train situation only IT HADNT STARTED 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Not in a million years did I think we would actually make it to our original tour.

We were given a headphone and radio thing so we could hear our guide.
It was much cooler in the mine.

It's called the Wieliczka salt mines. It's a UNSCO site and frankly, pretty bad ass.
We first went down to the 1st level taking one million stairs to get there - the last number I noticed was staircase 41 so it was at least more than that. It just didn't end.

Ok so,

Stop 1.
She told us about the wood at why it was painted white - to reflect the light because they obviously didn't have candles.

Stop 2.
One of many galleries that had cool
Sculptures made from salt. They looked like they were made from marble but when you put your light up to it it became transparent - same with the floor. It was pretty cool.

Stop 3.
Another chamber with statues where our guide told us a tale about a Hungary engagement ring and a princess. I didn't see the relevance...
she said the salt in this chamber has been approved by grad students as going well with tequila hahaha

Stop 4.
Some statues (non salt ones) that showed some of the workers and how they transported things e.g. Cart and horses etc

Stop 5.
Work stations for the horses.
It makes me sad. A single horse was down in the mines for 20 - 30 years. The last one only left in 2002 😒it hadn't been a working mine in many many years but things still had to be done apparently.

We then went down to the second level.
Some gronks brought their newborn infant and a pram? They held up several groups.

Stop 6.
Was a crappy presentation about methane gas. It was silly, I didn't learn anything other than it's dangerous in mines.

Stop 7.
A section that had dwarfs carved from salt and a little one at the front. We threw coins in and made a wish.

Stop 8.
A chapel - which was nothing compared to....

Stop 9.
Europes largest underground chapel and 2nd in the world (Columbia has the biggest) Crikey it was impressive!
All up there are over 40 chapels in the mines - some just little rooms with a painting though.

So in the big ass chapel were wall carvings, salt crystal chandeliers, and space, lots of space.
You were meant to buy a photo permit but I chose not too lol. #badass.

Stop 10.
We listened in the near dark to noises of the workers and a piece by Chopin.

Level 3 was 135m underground and our last stop. The mine does have 9 levels.

Stop 11. A water section that boats use to cross.
The mine has no records of deaths but I'm sure the talks is quite high.

Thinking back I didn't learn overly to much about the mine and it's history but I still really enjoyed the tour.
The gift shop had some great items but I'm on stick orders to not buy things haha.
I really wanted a salt bunny rabbit statue lol

The mine was really impressive and so friggen big.
We had to catch a suspicious lift back to the top. Will didn't fit of course.

And so began our journey home.

We walked to the station and bought our ticket and the train came - everything was looking great until a worker said we had to get off at the next station 😭😭😭😂😂😂😭 REALLY?!?

So we got stranded on the platform for 30 minutes in the dark with a bunch of just as confused people.
Fun times.